Unlocking the Power of an Inclusive classroom with Figma’s open canvas | Figma Blog
The article argues that traditional, one-size-fits-all education is failing many students, especially amid declining achievement, teacher burnout, disability inclusion needs, and worsening youth mental health. Educators such as Lisa Highfill are using student-centered frameworks and visual collaboration tools like Figma to give learners more choice, agency, and accessible ways to participate. The central conclusion is that inclusive, flexible classrooms can benefit all students, not only those with identified special needs. ## Moving Beyond “Robot Students” - Lisa Highfill recalls students who focused primarily on grades, deadlines, and point values rather than meaningful learning. - Standardized lesson plans and rigid educational standards limited teachers’ ability to adapt instruction. - Lisa wanted to “design” learning experiences that offered students choices and helped them build agency. - She later became a technology integration specialist and created digital lesson plans called **Hyperdocs** in 2016. - Her approach was based on an explore, explain, and apply cycle adapted from the **5E Instructional Model**. ## Education’s Ongoing Crisis - The pandemic intensified existing problems but did not create them. - The 2023 National Assessment of Educational Progress reported historic lows in math and reading scores among 13-year-olds. - Schools continue to face: - Teacher shortages, low morale, and burnout - Health and safety concerns - Growing numbers of students with disabilities - Serious concerns about children’s mental health - Earlier reductions in public-school funding contributed to weaker test scores and lower college attendance. - Students were already experiencing significant academic pressure and mental-health stress before COVID-19. - Increasing reliance on standardized testing reinforces a checklist-driven model that does not address individual needs. ## Universal Design for Learning - **Universal Design for Learning (UDL)** promotes multiple ways for students to: - Access and understand information - Express what they know - Engage with learning - The framework is designed to support students with diverse abilities, backgrounds, learning styles, and emotional needs in the same classroom. - It challenges the assumption that one instructional method can work equally well for everyone. ## The 5E Instructional Model - The 5E model emphasizes that students need more than factual knowledge; they also need to understand how concepts are organized and applied. - Its five phases are: - Engage - Explore - Explain - Elaborate - Evaluate - The process is cyclical rather than strictly linear. - Lisa’s explore, explain, and apply approach builds on this model by encouraging inquiry and real-world application. ## Visual Collaboration and Inclusive Learning - The shift to virtual and hybrid learning increased interest in teaching methods that accommodate different learning styles and personal circumstances. - Research suggests inclusive classrooms can improve outcomes for all students, not only those with special educational needs. - Visual collaborative tools such as Figma can help teachers create more dynamic learning experiences and give students different ways to contribute. - An open canvas supports choice, collaboration, and participation beyond conventional written assignments or teacher-led instruction. Educators can make classrooms more inclusive by combining frameworks such as UDL and the 5E model with flexible visual tools. The practical recommendation is to design learning experiences around student agency, varied forms of participation, and individual needs rather than relying on standardized, one-size-fits-all instruction.
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